09 November 2006

Camel Caravans






I was excited to finally see camels in Kenya… that is, besides the ones I frequently see in Nairobi or on the beaches at Mombasa. [Those are used for rides for kids.]


These people DID NOT want us taking pictures of their camels! They picked up stones to throw at us. Micah (who was driving) apologized and we quickly moved on. Another time he and Mwita were in the area, the people actually did throw stones at them!

Garissa receives only about 12 inches of rainfall in a year, whereas the Matunda area gets approximately 40. The average annual temperature is 85 degrees, as compared to 64 degrees in the Matunda area.

As we approached Bangale, we were forced to stop at two road barriers. We had to explain to the officers why we were entering the area. Again at Garissa, there was a third one. I was told that this was an attempt to monitor the many Somali bandits in the area.

One evening, I went for a walk with two of the guys that accompanied us on the trip – Micah and Mwangi. As we meandered through the almost barren land of Bangale, a young woman passed by us. She had just tied a goat to a bush. Dressed quite nicely, in a red sari, she eyed us suspiciously and kept her distance. Something made me turn back to look at her. As if to reinforce the fact that the area is dangerous, I spotted a “panga” (machete) hidden clandestinely on her back. It was positioned in such a way that she could quickly grab it and use it for defense. The guys were dismayed that a society exists where such behavior is necessary among the women.

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